Nightmares Return
by HeartofWinterSpirirt
Summary: It's been 2 years since the Nightmare King has been seen. Jamie and Jack have become close friends, but what would happen if Pitch returned? Would the fear of losing his best friend consume Jamie? How will the Guardians be able to defeat Pitch this time? They will have to turn to an old friend who has not been seen for hundreds of years! This could be their final battle!
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first fanfic IN A WHILE. I hope you guys enjoy! May be slow on writing...but I have big ideas 8D Thanks for reading!_

**Chapter 1**

It was that time of year again, Jamie's favorite time. The air became lighter and cooler on his nose. A small trickle of fresh white powdered snow fell from the sky and lightly dusted the ground. As he looked out of his window, he couldn't wait to get outside and play all of his friends, who were calling his name telling him to hurry up. Jamie pushed his window open and gave his friends a warm wave. "I'll be down in a minute!" He shouted. His eyes then drifted to his breath. It was funny how you could see it in the cold air.

But his favorite part about this season was the fact that his friend, his best friend, Jack Frost was coming to visit!

It had only been two years since Jack Frost and the other Guardians saved the entire world from the dreaded Nightmare King, Pitch Black! There were times where Jamie felt a little afraid because Jack wasn't around all of the time...and what if Pitch returned? Of course, there had been no sign of him anywhere since that day! It was like Pitch disappeared off the face of the planet! Which was a good things for children everywhere...but there still was that slight fear...

As Jamie rushed to put on his coat, Sophie came bursting through his bedroom door. "Jamie! Jamie! It's cold outside again!" It was nice to finally understand what his little sister was saying. He could remember the way she sounded when they had their adventure with the Guardians. But it was also a sign of both of them growing up. What would happen when he grew older? Would he still be able to see Jack? Or any of the other Guardians for that matter. He knew his mom couldn't see Jack. There had been plenty of times where Jamie would stay up late just talking with Jack and his mom would come in the room and just see Jamie sitting up in bed, wondering what he was going on about. A twinge of sadness hit Jamie. The thought of growing up scares every child now and then. But what if Jamie grew up and forgot all about his best friend.

Jamie shook the painful thoughts off and grabbed Sophie's hand. "Come on! We're gonna go and play in the snow. Maybe Jack will come back today!" He said with a wide grin. Sophie cheered and ran along behind her brother. The two of them reached the front of their house and were greeted by friends. The children then started to run around, hoping more snow would fall so they could start their winter games of snowball fights, largest snow angel, and sled racing.

Little did the children know was that they were being watched. This entity was small and dark. It had no real shape..it was just kind of a ball that shifted from being a ball, to an oval, to a squiggly lined thing. Even though this thing had no face or expressions, it was noticeably curious as to what the children were doing. Why were they running? Why were they laughing? What were their names? What were their...fears? A dark create indeed. But where did it come from and what was it doing in Burgess?

It continued to linger in the shadows and continued its watch over the children. This group was of great interest to it.

Meanwhile, back at the Pole, the North Pole, the workshop was busy as usual. Preparations for Christmas always started as soon as the year began. There was no time to sit around and waste. Millions of children around the world were counting on him, and North always delivered. He wouldn't have been able to keep up with this work of course, if the Yetis had never agreed to help him. They were friends he had made a long time ago, in his life before meeting all of the other Guardians. The Man in the Moon worked in very mysterious ways. But North has agreed with all of the decisions that have been made while working along side the Man in the Moon. It was a great honor to be chosen as a Guardian.

But a story for another time! North was alone in his large office, building little ice sculptures, as he often liked to do. For the past couple years, things have been different around the Pole. There was a new resident there who made work difficult sometimes. And one of those times was now. North's eyes went from his tiny plane/train mash-up to one of the windows. He could see something being drawn on the frost. Then, the image tore away from the window and became a three dimensional object. It flew into the room and swirled above North's head. North heaved a sigh and looked down at his creation. "Now look here, Jack! I work hard creating these ideas! You can't just steal 'dem!" His voice boomed. He had a heavy Russian accent, which really fit his large, intimidating appearance. But there was also a softness to it.

"It can't be helped! This is what happens when I watch you make toys all day." Jack Frost pushed the window open and glided into the office. His bare feet landed softly on the solid wood floor, not making noise at all. He walked over to North and propped his staff parallel to him and leaned against it. He couldn't help but grin a bit. "Your creations are always better than the copies I make." North smiled. He knew that Jack was always playing tricks and causing trouble with the Yetis and elves..but it was all in good fun! "'De workshop wouldn't be the same without you, Jack Frost!" North rose up from his chair and twisted from side to side, feeling a small pop in his back. He raised his arms up over his head and stretched.

"It is time you vwent down to the little ones, yes?" Jack nodded in agreement. "I can't keep Jamie waiting forever! I think all these months have been enough." Jack said as he looked down to the floor and then back up at North with a grin. "I feel the same vway! Enjoy your time there! Don't forget to check in every once in a while." North winked and then turned away from Jack. He went over to the cabinets to grab some cookies. The elves were still fussing over them, making sure North got the best cookie of the bunch. "Cookie?" Jack waved his hand. "Nah, I'm just gonna head over to Burgess. I'll be there for a while." North nodded. "Of course." With that, Jack turned from North and headed for the window. He stepped onto the sill and crouched down. He took a deep breath and then grinned once more. "Wind, take me home!" Jack jumped out of the window, his arms spread wide.

_To be continued! Till next time~_


	2. Chapter 2

_I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG ABSENCE. Things just got a little crazy over here for me! I've had this story in my head for a while and I really want to share it with you guys! Thanks for reading and again, this is my first fanfic in a while! Chapter 3 coming soon!_

Chapter 2

The wind had carried Jack Frost to Burgess. As soon as he was in the small town, he felt more at home. Even though most people there still couldn't see him, it didn't bother him. Anyway, the most important person there was Jamie. As he flew by some open windows, a couple children here and there would shout and wave at him. He would smile and give a small chuckle as he flew by, a flurry of snow followed behind him. He knew that most children loved snow because it was a reason to stay home from school and play outside all day. Afterall, he was the guardian of fun.

However, Jack still wasn't used to all of this attention. He had spent 300 years alone. The Guardians were there to talk to, but no one seemed to be interested in speaking to him..or even acknowledging him for that matter. Sandman was an exception to this fact though! He made sure that he got to know every Guardian out there. At least a little bit. That's all in the past now..

Jack could see the house he was looking for. The wind stopped him abruptly and he floated down on to the rooftop. The guardian crouched down and could see the children playing in the yard. They were trying to scrape up what snow they could to have a snowball fight. The winter spirit knew that had to change quickly. With a smirk he lifted his staff up and more snow began to fall. It didn't take much for him to make it snow. Just the thought of children having fun was enough to do the trick.

As it started to snow more, Jamie's smile grew wider. He knew that could mean one thing, Jack was back! He dropped the snowball he had in his hand and began to search for Jack. His eyes scanned the yard first...no he wasn't there. Before he could turn his head back to the house, a snowball hit him on the back of the head. Jamie chuckled and turned around to see Jack sitting on top of the house! Jamie couldn't help but burst with joy. "Jack! Jack's back!"

All of Jamie's friends stopped what they were doing to see what all of the fuss was about, but then they realized just what Jamie had been shouting about, Jack! Everyone looked up at the roof and waved. Jack Frost felt his emotions go on a small roller coaster ride for a moment, he couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Jamie! Hey everyone! I'm back." With a small gust of wind carrying him down, he landed right in front of Jamie.

Jamie was a bit taller than he was a couple of months ago. He was growing up. Jack immediately shook the thoughts from his head. He crouched down to be more eye level with Jamie. He put his cold hand on the child's shoulder. "Been a while since I've seen you. You're getting taller! You may even pass me up one day." Jamie responded by throwing his arms around Jack and pulling him into a hug. Jack dropped his arm and gave Jamie a comforting pat on the back. "Well, anyway, I'm here to enjoy a snow day with you guys! So let's have some fun!"

Sophie wasted no time and threw a snowball right at Jack. "You've got an arm on you, geez!" Jack stood up straight, a snowball starting to form in his palm. The children all darted away in different directions because they all knew this would be a losing battle. Jack would always dominate in snowball fights. Jack sighed and chuckled under his breath. He dropped the snowball that was in his hand. Right as he did that, other snowballs started to form around him. He wanted to give the children free ammo and also….a free shot.

Jamie and his friends peaked out from their hiding places to see why a single snowball had not been thrown yet. The free ammo caught their eyes and a devilish grin played across all of their faces. Jack put his hand up in the air. "Alright guys! I'm only going to let you do this once…" And just as he finished speaking, the barrage of snowballs came flying at him. This was how everything continued for the rest of the day. Nothing but running around, laughter, and smiles.

When the sun had set, it was time for everyone to return home. There was still a tiny ounce of concern when the sun went down for Jamie and his friends. After all, they were the only ones who had witnessed the power of the Nightmare King. But all in all, they were just exhausted from the day.

Jamie climbed up the stairs to his room after dinner. Jack was already waiting, sitting by the window, looking up at the moon. "Has he said anything to you yet, Jack?" Jamie asked with a soft smile. Jack shook his head softly. "He doesn't need to. If you look up at him right now, you can see a huge smile spread across the surface. I know he's listening and he will respond to me somehow if he needs to." Jamie grinned and jumped on his bed. "Yeah! His bright light always makes me feel better. He's like...a giant nightlight!" Jack nodded. "He really loves children, from what I've heard. North told me all about it when he was telling me about how he became a guardian! But that's why you have us! North, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, and myself are all here for you and every child on Earth."

Jamie always loved hearing stories about the Guardians he had become friends with. They always had a special place in his heart, but ever since that day that Pitch almost took over, they were closer. "Hey Jack, do you think there are other Guardians out there?" Jack put his hand to his chin. He thought about it for a few moments. "You know, I have heard of a little human girl named Katherine and I also have heard stories about a Guardian known at Nightlight." Jamie's eyes grew wide. "There's a Guardian named Nightlight? He sounds awesome! Do you know anything about him?" Jack smirked at Jamie's excitement. "I haven't heard too much, but I do know that he was actually the first to defeat Pitch." Jamie leaned in closer. That was a hint…

"Alright! So as North sort of told it, Pitch was actually a general or something for the moon people. But he went crazy and was taken over by fearlings. The darkness pulled him in and made him evil. Nightlight was actually the Man Moon's guardian. His weapon was a bright spear that had a moonbeam inside! Nightlight engaged Pitch in combat and ended up piercing Pitch's heart with the spear." Jamie listened intently. "However, in order for Pitch to stay defeated, Nightlight was trapped in Pitch's heart for years. He was set free by a stray moonbeam by accident, but in my opinion, it was a happy accident. Who would want to be trapped in a dark heart like that forever?" This practically blew Jamie's mind. That battle was probably way more intense than the one they had on Earth. "You're telling me there's moon people?!" Jack nodded. "Well, there were, but Pitch wiped them all out…" Jack didn't know too much of the story. He was still learning a lot about the world he had pretty much been shunned from his whole afterlife. There were still so many tales he hadn't heard from North, but he knew they would come in time. Jamie crawled into bed and stretched his arms above his head. He let out a loud yawn. "I hope that Pitch will never come back...he really is evil." Jack looked over at Jamie. "Don't worry about him, he's in his dark cave and hopefully he will never come back out." A small twinge his the back of Jack's neck. After he said that, something felt off. He didn't quite know what it was, but he knew he had to try to find out.

With a large grin, Jack gave Jamie a 'see ya later' salute. "Good night, Jamie. And don't be afraid, we will always be there for you." Jamie nestled himself under his covers and gave Jack a warm smile. "I know, Jack. See you tomorrow?" "You know you will!" With that, Jack jumped out the window and felt the wind come up from under him. He gently closed the window and waved to Jamie one more time before letting the wind lift him up in into the sky. The stars were shining brightly and the moon seemed bigger than ever. I think it was Manny's way of enjoying the short tale Jack had been sharing with Jamie. Jack waved at the moon and continued to drift around Burgess, trying to figure out what the feeling was. Hopefully, he would find out soon. Something just didn't feel right.

Jack had finally gone. This was the chance to strike. The little black entity that had been watching Jamie and his friends earlier was still lingering around the house. It changed shape and it slowly crept around the yard. It slipped into the darkest shadows and darted around, avoiding any bright light. It waited until Jamie's mother had turned out all the lights and retired for the night.

The blob shifted up the side of the house, all the way up to Jamie's window. It paced from corner to corner on the windowsill. It waited. And waited. Pacing back and forth, back and forth. It could see Jamie toss to one side and then the other. This would be the perfect time. The form slipped in through the cracks, using the shadows as pathways. It made its way to Jamie's bed. At the foot of the bed, the blob started to expand and turn into a large puddle. The puddle bubbled up slowly and started to take form. The form rose up slowly from the darkness. A low growl turned into a deep chuckle. Jamie's worst fear had been forming right at the foot of his bed and he would never know it. The Nightmare King was back and even more powerful than he was before. All that time spent in the shadows, cursing Jack Frost and the Guardians, and wanting revenge had twisted a bolt a little too tightly in the dark one's head. This would be his ultimate plan and this time, it would work.

Pitch slipped over to the side of the bed where Jamie was facing. He lifted his cold hand and placed it over Jamie's eyes. He could have turned the child into a fearling right then and there, but had a much better idea. "Oh no, no, no. I have much bigger plans for you…" He whispered. Black sand started forming in his palm. When Pitch took his hand away from Jamie's eyes, there was residue and grains of black sand forming a blindfold like silhouette. "There's a trick I haven't used for years. Now sleep, child." This was not the nightmare sand he had used before, this was different. Jamie would be asleep until Pitch would let him wake up.

Pitch reached out and lifted Jamie up from his bed. The Nightmare King's plan had been set into motion. And now it was time to place the bait in his lair. "Once Frost realizes you're missing, he's going to come looking for you. This is just all too perfect…" Pitch growled as he walked over to the dark puddle, carrying Jamie in his arms. He stepped into the dark pool once more and began to sink. Jamie and Pitch turned into darkness and vanished.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harsh winds pushed against the glass. Rain patter hit the pane so hard, it sounded like the window would shatter. It was dark...the kind of dark that no one would want to be alone in. This darkness seemed familiar. Jack couldn't shake the feeling. A strike of lightning lit the boy's room. Jack's eyes took a moment to focus and adjust to the flashing. He searched around, but Jamie could not be found. A moment of panic filled Jack. Could it be? Was he….?

Just then, the bedroom door swung open. It was Jamie. He looked dishevelled and exhausted. A small smile started to tweak the corners of Jack's lips. He took a couple of steps towards the boy, "He bud! Thought you were…." His voice trailed off when he realized that Jamie wasn't listening or that he couldn't hear him. A ball lumped up in the back of Jack's throat. Jamie staggered into his room and went straight for his bed. He sat down quietly, never once looking over at Jack.

Jack was confused, he didn't know what to make of the situation. He went over to Jamie and knelt down in front of him. A blank stare was plastered across the young boy's face. His eyes were blank...so dull and dark. Dark circles only amplified the look of exhaustion and despair. "Jamie…..?" Jack questioned, a hint of shaking in his voice. But he was only met with a scream. Jamie's scream was full of fear. Tears started streaming down his cheeks.

Startled, Jack jumped to his feet and staggered back. His back hit the wall. Everything around Jamie became dark. Jack watched in horror as the darkness began to take shape-

"Jack! Jack! Vwake up boy!" Jack woke. His eyes flew open in a panic only to find himself being shaken by North. North released Jack's shoulders and took a few steps back. The winter guardian sat up quickly. He felt beads of sweat rolling from his brow, his heart was pounding so fast he was sure that it would burst from his chest, his hands were shaking uncontrollably. It took him a moment to scan his surroundings and realize he was safe at the workshop.

"Vwe heard you yelling out and thought some'sing had happened. Vwhat happened?" Jack couldn't form the words right away. "I….I saw Jamie...and Pitch-" "PITCH?" North's voice boomed through the workshop. All the elves stopped in their tracks, some stumbled over, others had their jaws drop. The toy makers all froze and listened in. "That low life, no good guardian hasn't been seen for two years! Vwe defeated him!" Jack nodded and wiped the sweat away and tried to calm himself down. It felt so real….everything. "But North...you don't understand. It felt so real. I have never had a dream-a nightmare like this before!" North put one large hand on his chin and rested his weight on one leg. He thought for a moment. "Jack, has there been any'sing troubling you recently?" "Well, yes." His thoughts immediately shifted to the thought of being forgotten again. He averted his eyes away from the large man.

North stroked his beard and smiled. "I think you are worrying over no'sing. Jamie and those kids love you. I don't 'sink they could forget you so quickly. Have more faith in your friends, Jack." North's voice was full of comfort, especially with his thick Russian accent. Jack shook his head slightly, he felt his heart calm and his hand finally sat still. North was right. No one would forget him that easily. And he was also right about Pitch. Pitch would never think to show his face again, would he? What power would he have? None, Jack reassured himself.

Jack inhaled, taking a long, deep breath. He exhaled slowly. "Okay...you are right. I am worrying over something silly I suppose." Of course, what did North know about being alone for 300 years, not being believed in. He knew that North was only trying to help. Jack turned and dropped his feet down on the floor. He stood up and stretched. "I think I'm going back to Burgess. Gotta visit with Jamie as much as I can before school starts up again!" North chuckled lightly and patted Jack on the back. His large hands almost knocked the wind out of Jack. He met North's grin with a small smirk of his own. "I'll be back!" Jack rushed over to an open window and jumped right out, riding the gust of wind back to Burgess!

((Sorry I've been gone so long! I didn't think anyone was really interested! I'm such a dork! Working on the next chapter! Thanks guys!))


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Ah yay! I'm working on it again!~_

Down below the surface. Down in the deepest depth of darkness, something was stirring. The walls seemed to be shifting, like shadows lurking. And that was exactly what they were. Shadows lined the walls and brought the underground cave to life. In the center of them all was the Nightmare King. A sly grin crept across his lips. Everything was starting to fall into place. All he needed to do was lure the blasted Winter Spirit down into his lair and keep him there. After that, the plan would finally be able to be carried out.

His yellow eyes slid slowly down to his feet where a child lay. It was Jamie. Jamie was unaware of where he was or what was going on. The black sand still dusted across his eyes. Jamie flinched a bit and groaned. "Oh, come now boy! There is nothing to be afraid of…." His grin widened more so. "Oh but wait, there is. Fear itself." Pitch wanted to teach Jamie a lesson for making him look like a fool before. All those children deserved to pay. But if he took them all, then it would have gotten the attention of all the Guardians. He didn't want that to happen just yet. Right now he just needed the attention of one.

Jack soared through the brisk air. In the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Once he got to Burgess, he hoped that his fears were just that and nothing more. If anything happened to Jamie, Jack would never forgive himself. It was partly his fault Jamie got wrapped up in all of this.

Finally, the tops of the buildings were in sight. The flight home had never felt that long before. As he flew over the town, everything looked to be normal. This set his mind slightly at ease. As he approached Jamie's neighborhood, he started to scan the area. He could see a familiar group of children playing down in the snow. All minus one….

Jack eased off and slowly drifted down. His feet gracefully landed on the wooden plank of a fence. He knelt down and rested one arm on his thigh. At first the children didn't notice him because they were too engulfed in their snowball fight. Jack raised a hand to his lips and blew gently into his palm. A snowball began to form.

Cupcake raised her arm, ready to release a ball. Just then, a snowball struck her on the back of her head. She turned around, she didn't have her usual scowl but a softer look. She chucked the snowball in her hand at Jack, it hit him square on the shoulder. All he could do was chuckle softly. He stood up and began to float down. "Jack! It's been a while!" The children all shouted and ran over to greet the Guardian. But before the merriment could continue, Jack still needed to know where Jamie was. His brow furrowed.

"Have any of you seen Jamie?" The children looked to each other and shook their heads. "We haven't seen him for a couple of days now." Pippa shook her head. "Maybe they went on a little trip! I'm sure they'll be back soon." She smiled and then turned back to the battlefield. "Come on guys! We gotta settle the score!" The rest of the gang waved to Jack and returned to throwing snowballs at each other.

Jack smiled and waved them off. Something still felt off. Well, he hadn't checked Jamie's house yet. Maybe he was there!

Jack landed gently on the rooftop of the Bennett house. He sat silently for a few minutes. The house was unusually quiet. Usually at this time, Sophie was chasing the dog and causing a ruckus and Jamie sometimes joined in. Their mother would chase after them, sometimes laughing sometimes asking them for quiet.

He climbed down onto Jamie's windowsill and took a look inside. Everything was dark. Jack lifted the window open and hopped down inside. His eyes quickly scanned the room, but there was no sign of the boy anywhere. Maybe he was somewhere else in the house and if not, maybe he was really on a trip. But Jack was sure Pippa would at least know and she didn't sound too sure.

The winter spirit decided to go check around the house. Next stop would be Sophie's room. At first, he cracked the door open just slightly. Usually, he didn't hesitate to enter the girl's room, but there was a pit forming in his gut that kept nagging at him and he was afraid of what he would see. He pushed the door open a little further.

Sophie was there, asleep in her bed. This was curious because it was the afternoon...why would she still be in bed? Jack crept over to the side of her bed and knelt down next to her. He noticed something strange resting on her cheek. He raised his hand up to her face and gently wiped away the strange residue. "No...it couldn't be." Jack mumbled to himself. The residue was black sand. He recognized the emotions that came to him as soon as he touched the nightmare sand. Jack's heart sank. "Sophie! Hey, Sophie! Wake up!" He nudged her to try and wake her, but no response.

Jack got to his feet quickly and rushed through the house to find Jamie. But instead of Jamie, he found Jamie's mother. She was reclined on the couch...there was also nightmare sand dusted over her eyes. At the mother's feet was the dog, black sand dusted the animal's eyes as well. Jack's heart began to race, where was Jamie?

After a search of the entire house, Jack knew, Pitch was back. But how? He couldn't have had much power after the last battle. That didn't matter at the moment, what mattered was Jamie's safety. Jack feared that the Nightmare King had done something with his friend.

Jack had searched the surrounding area of the Bennett house. He ventured to the open wooded area where he used to spend all of his time alone, where he called home. There was still no trace of his friend.

Meanwhile, in a bush, a bubbling black figure watched the frantic Guardian search. It changed shape depending on the direction Jack was headed. It was getting ready to make its move. "That's it...let the fear grow inside of you!" Pitch cackled. He was down in his lair, observing Jack. He had vision of the scene through the eyes of the bubbling black mass. "Just need to wait for the right moment...when his emotions are at their peak. That is when he will be most vulnerable." The Nightmare King's grin grew wide. "I have waited too long for you, Jack." He rose a hand and snapped his fingers. The bubbling mass on the surface reacted and began to slither out from the bush it was hiding it.

Jack's heart started to race. His breath grew short. Fear swept over his mind. Why would Pitch take Jamie? This wasn't his fight. Where could he have taken Jamie? Wouldn't the Man in the Moon have seen this happening? The thoughts continued to race through his mind. He was unaware of his surroundings as he walked through the trees. Even though his eyes were scanning the area, he never felt the presence of the black mass.

It slithered behind him. As time went on, the mass became larger in size. With every step, the bubbling minion grew, until finally, it would be ready.

"Get ready everyone, we are about to have company…" Pitch rumbled below. He snapped his fingers again. Jamie grunted as his brow furrowed. The nightmare was beginning to get more intense. It was as if Jamie was aware of the events taking place but could do nothing to stop it.

The minion rose up behind Jack. Jack saw the shadow of something block the sun behind him. He stopped and turned on his heel to see a huge wall of black sand standing tall over him. The Guardian raised his staff and was getting ready to attack when the black sand came crashing down on him, engulfing him in darkness.

_To be continued! Till next time~_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Hey guys! Moving right now, so it'll be slow. Glad to be back!~ Thanks for reading!_

"Jack? JACK! Look out behind you!" Jamie screamed to warn his friend, but it fell to unhearing ears. He was stunned as he watched his best friend being swallowed by a wall of darkness. As the darkness fell on Jack, Jamie found himself alone in the dark. He put his hand out to see if there was anything to touch or grab a hold of. After a couple seconds of hesitation, the child felt an urge to move forward and decided to follow. It felt like he walked for hours. There was nothing but darkness in front of him. Or could he be blind? He paused and rubbed his eyes. There were tiny pieces of something rough on his cheeks. It felt like...sand? Maybe this was all a dream. But if this was a dream...the Sandman would never give Jamie such an awful dream. That could only mean one thing...that Pitch was back!

His heart started pounding, wanting to break out from his chest. As the realization grew, his surroundings began to change. A dim light lit the area around him, revealing horrifying sights. There were black shadows rising up from the ground. They had long bodies and arms with jagged stick like fingers. As Jamie looked at one of the shadows, it lifted its head. The face was blank. The shadow noticed the outsider and began to drift over. As it came closer, the shadow's head grew longer and a mouth started to form. The mouth opened. Instead of a normal mouth, it was a hole that went right through the shadow's head. Shadows of sharp teeth began to form. The deep, empty sockets that held no eyes now glowed a dull red. Jamie stumbled back as the shadow suddenly jumped at him. The others that surrounded soon followed.  
-

Jamie cried out in his sleep, raising his arms up to cover and protect his face. He groaned and grunted as he tried to keep his invisible attacker away. This only brought more joy to the Nightmare King. His grin widened as he let out a low cackle. "Ah, yes! The sounds I have been longing to hear for these past few years." His dark eyes drifted over to the young boy. "And I thought you said you weren't afraid of me! Stupid boy!" Pitch went over to Jamie's side and knelt down. His slender fingers wrapped tightly under Jamie's chin as he leaned in close, his lips hovered over the child's ear as he whispered. "Don't worry...you're almost free from this. We just need one person to understand that if he doesn't cooperate with my demands, there will be even more for you to fear." With a rough push, he released Jamie's chin and let the child fall back to the ground. Pitch tossed his head back and laughed, pleased with his plan so far.

"Pitch!" Jack shouted as loud as he could. He could not hear anything after that terrible laugh except for his voice echoing in the darkness that surrounded him. He wasn't sure where he was, but he knew he was not where he was before. His bare feet felt out the surface beneath him. Instead of soft grass, he felt damp, cold stone. This place was all too familiar to Jack. He had been here once before a long time ago...it was a moment he regretted at the time and still did to this day. He was underground in Pitch's lair.

It took him a moment to steady himself. Jack had never wanted to return here ever again. It brought back painful memories. Memories of his past, memories of almost losing the only friends he had, memories of his friends losing trust in him, memories of being invisible to the children that brought him so much joy. His head swirled in pain, causing him to drop to his knees. He could feel his heart pounding chest and hear his breathing coming out rough and shaky. But that all disappeared when his ears picked up a familiar voice. The voice boomed and echoed throughout the cave. The walls shook, amplifying the cry. It sent chills throughout Jack's entire body. It was Jamie! How….WHY was he down here?

Jack immediately thought about the black sand he had spotted on Jamie's mother and sister. He had hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was. But now there was just too much evidence pointing to the obvious. Pitch was back. How, Jack didn't know. But why?

It wasn't time to ask questions, Jack's body immediately jumped up and into action. He needed to find out which direction Jamie's cry came from. But before he could take a single step, he felt something tug at his sleeve. He turned his head to try and see what it was. But of course he could see nothing. Then, there was a hand grabbing at his ankle. Then another grabbing his arm. Then another grabbing his shoulder. As he tried to fight off the invisible hands, more came from the darkness and began pulling him back. The Guardian gripped his staff tightly and tried to get a spell to go off. All he managed to make was a small frost spark that gave him enough light to get a glimpse of what was happening. There were hundreds of hands make of black sand. They came from the walls beside him, above him, below him. Again he struggled to pull forward but the force was just too strong. He felt his feet slip beneath him as he was being pulled back.

Jack's head hit a hard surface, causing him to wince in pain. The hands continued to drag him backwards. He still wasn't able to see anything but black surrounding him. Again, his back hit a hard surface. He bit his lip and groaned. It felt like he was being pulled right through walls of stone. After several minutes of this, he felt the hands release him. But there was a problem with that, he couldn't feel a surface below his feet. Jack really wished the wind was able to catch him, but that wasn't happening this time.

The Guardian fell for quite some time before landing. He somehow managed to lessen the impact of the fall, but in doing so, he injured his shoulder. Jack hit the ground and tumbled forward. He came to rest on his chest, feeling the dampness against his cheek. He felt a twinge of pain come back to his head and his back. This caused him to dip in and out of consciousness. With his eyes tightly closed, he had to rely on his hearing to figure out where he was now. He could hear grunting and groaning. It sounded close to him, yet far at the same time. And there was that cry again from earlier. It rang in Jack's head, causing a large surge of pain. "Jamie!" Jack cried out as he scrambled to his feet. He opened his eyes slowly and winced as light blinded him for a few moments. The pain sent his head spinning. He was thrown off balance, but managed to stay on his feet. His eyes finally began to adjust to the minimal light that lit up the dark cave. There, just feet in front of him, was Jamie.

The winter spirit gathered all of his energy and rushed over to the child. But before he could reach Jamie, a wave of hands rushed towards Jack, hitting him with a strong force. The hands threw up against a wall and pressed hard against his neck. He managed to hold onto his staff and at the right moment, Jack mustered up all of the strength he had inside of him. He let out a war cry and managed to push the hands away from him with a blast of frost from his staff. He fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. He coughed and gasped as he quickly got to his feet once again. He rushed over to Jamie's side. His eyes scanned over the boy, making sure nothing had happened to him. There were no serious wounds, just some tiny scrapes and…..black sand. It was the same he had seen at Jamie's house...but there was a lot more of it dusted over his eyes.

Jamie winced and his body jolted. Jack quickly knelt down at Jamie's side and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Jamie. Jamie!" He shook the boy gently. "You can wake up now! I'm here. Everything will be alright. Just wake up!" Jack began to panic when he received no response from Jamie. Just small whines and low sobbing.

"Ah! Well if it isn't the little winter sprite. You've come to the aid the brat…" Jack reacted to the Nightmare King's voice but was met with a foot impacting his cheek. Before he could make a move, Pitch had knocked Jack to the ground and was now putting all of his weight on Jack's head. The Guardian cried out in pain as the pain in his shoulder flared up again. "Those cries! I've been longing to hear those. I've thirsted for them ever since _that_ day...I'll be sure to get more out of you…" Pitch lifted his foot and then drove his foot right into Jack's side. The impact sent Jack sliding a few inches. His head came to rest on a jagged rock. "Ahh!" Jack writhed in pain, grabbing his head. The Nightmare King swooped down to Jack's side and grabbed a handful of silvery-white hair. He jerked Jack's head back. Bright blue eyes met his dark yellow ones. "Now...let's have a little talk, shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Chapter 6! This is getting so intense. I apologize for the Jack beating! I do love him..but this story...is just intense! Thanks for reading! 3_

"North. NORTH!" Toothiana fluttered anxiously around the workshop. Baby Tooths whizzed around her, showing her the latest lost tooth report before going out to retrieve it. Tooth did her best to give the okays and the orders...but her mind was occupied by something more serious. That was why she had gone to North's workshop. But now that she was there, her worry grew. "North! Where is Jack? I thought he would be here with you." Her voice trailed off as she noticed the ex-bandit pacing back and forth while stroking his large beard. She knew he was already on the same page.

"He left here ina panic just the other day. But as far as I know, it was just dream that had 'im worked up." North shook his head. "No. I know Jack vwould call if he needed help." His thick accent echoed in his own mind. There was no way Jack would take anything on alone. However, there was something that had been on North's mind for a few days. There had been an odd feeling in the air blowing through the open windows of his workshop. He couldn't quite put his finger...or his belly on it. But it didn't feel right at all.

Tooth broke North's thoughts by abruptly appearing in front of him. Her soft pink eyes smiling even though she was not. A slight smile spread across her lips. "I suppose you are right. He said he was going to come to the Tooth Palace and help me with a few things, but he never showed up." She clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. "I-I was just looking forward to seeing him!" Some color rushed into her cheeks.

"Really, Tooth? Ya fell for the winter sprite? Aw, mate." A warm voice snapped the two Guardians out of their thoughts. "Bunny! Vwhat brings you here? I thought it vwas too cold." North let out a hearty laugh. His cheeks filled with their usual rosey color again. "I came here with some odd news, mate." North's brow perked. "I've been smelling some odd things in the air, even down in the Earth's core. I think we need to talk to the Man in the Moon and see if he's noticed anything. Something just doesn't feel right, mate."

As Bunnymund shared what was on his mind, North's suspicions were now relevant. "I agree! Vwe vwill contact Man in Moon as soon as vwe can get a hold of 'im." North had already sent a sign to Manny, hoping he would contact them. "Wve wvill vwait here until he answers." The three Guardians stood by the globe and waited for the Man in the Moon to answer their questions.

While the Guardians were gathered at the North Pole, Jack was face to face with the Nightmare King once more. The rage built up inside of him. He knew he had to do anything and everything in his power to make sure Jamie got out safely. He didn't know what Pitch had done to him...but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

Pitch could see the anger flare up in Jack's eyes. Even though Jack was pretty much under his control, the Guardian was still pretty unpredictable. He broke his stare to search around for the sprite's staff. Luckily for him, it was out of reach. He returned his glare. "As I was saying...it seems you and I have a few things to discuss."

Jack didn't respond. He grit his teeth as his eyes grew more fierce. "My my. You don't want to lose your temper right now...because if you do, you might endanger the boy's life…" With a snap of his fingers, the hands that Jack had felt pull him around earlier appeared around Jamie. One of the hands brushed through the child's hair, which sent chills down Jack's spine. His eyes traveled back to Pitch. "What...do you want?"

"Oh, this is too easy!" Pitch knew that the fight wasn't over yet, but he thoroughly enjoyed taunting the Guardian. "Well, as you can see, Jamie belongs to me right now. If you want me to free him...I need you to take his place."

Jack's brow arched. "You need me….to take his place? For what? What..are you planning?" It was difficult for him to speak. He couldn't seem to form words. What in the world could Pitch be up to? And just how was he forcing Jamie to stay asleep? In the past, the children were able to wake up...but this...this sand was something completely different. "What have you..done to Jamie!"

"So many questions, my boy." Pitch tightened his grip on Jack's hair. The Guardian winced in pain and cursed Pitch. "You curse me now...but just wait until all is said and done. You won't be then." Pitch cleared his throat. "Now, I need to you to cooperate in order for Jamie to go free. I have big plans for you...and for the children all over the world. But of course, I'm not just going to spill my entire plan out to you. You may go and blab to those fools you've taken a liking to. I just need you….to stay."

Jack's eyes widened. He didn't have it in his heart to stay in the dark with Pitch. He had done it once and swore to himself never again. The pain he felt all over his body vanished as he mustered up all of the strength he had in his body. He was going to do everything his power to escape with Jamie.

The Winter Spirit raised his arms up and pushed Pitch away from him with all of his might. This sent Pitch flying back. Now free, Jack jumped to his feet. His eyes scanned around for his staff. When he located it, he immediately flew over and scooped it up in his hand. He gripped his staff tightly and sent a bolt of frost barreling towards Pitch. The Nightmare King had little time to react and was hit by the attack. With the light smoke creating a screen, Jack had to use this as his opportunity to escape. Jack bolted over to Jamie's side. He scooped the child up in his arms and made a break for it.

Things were going to be alright...or so Jack thought. As he ran, he glanced down at Jamie only to see that the child he held to his chest started to...melt. He froze in his tracks. All of the color had faded from "Jamie" and started to glisten black. Then, without warning, the mass wrapped tightly around his body. The sand had made itself heavy and brought Jack down to the ground. He could feel Pitch's laugh vibrate the cold stone under his cheek.

"You think you could get away so easily? Trust me, Jack, I have taken every precaution to make sure everything goes my way." His voice echoed through the underground cave as he came closer to the bound Guardian. Jack struggled to break free from the nightmare sand but each time he pushed as hard as he could against the sand, the sand squeezed tighter. The pressure caused him to loosen his grip on his staff. Seeing this as his opportunity, Pitch reached for the staff. He was able to snatch it up easily. He straightened his posture and burst out in laughter. "Oh how the mighty do fall! What are you going to do now, Guardian?"

"I will keep fighting you. I will keep fighting fear! You wo-ahhhh!" Pitch narrowed his eyes and the sand reacted. It had tightened its grip and squeezed the frost sprite. There was a small cracking sound that came from Jack. The Nightmare King knew that something inside of the boy had been damaged. This only brought him more joy. "This is going even better than I had expected! You see...the more you struggle, the more damage I can do. You just put yourself and that boy in a very dangerous situation…"

A trail of sand slithered its way over to Pitch's side. At first, it was a small trickle, but then its width started to grow. Finally, a large mass of sand appeared, with Jamie engulfed in the center of it. Pitch raised the wooden staff to the child's neck. Normally, Jack wouldn't have worried because the staff only responded to him. But, a faint black light began to shine through the cracks of the staff. Jack writhed to break free, but again the pressure intensified. "This is simply pathetic. But...you should be worried. I've figured this twig out, you see."

"Likely story…" Jack scoffed. "Oh, but I have!" The Nightmare King exclaimed excitedly. "You see...I can tap into people's fears and control them at my will. For example, the little brat here. I am controlling his nightmare as we speak. Oh, it's a glorious one at that….but I digress. You and this staff have been together quite some time...alone in the world. Over those years, this twig has felt your pain, your happiness, you sadness, and...your fear. It allows me to reach into it now and harness its energy." Pitch grinned, quite pleased with himself. He hadn't sent the small nightmare masses out to spy on Jack for nothing.

After saying his piece, the staff swirled with black sand and a faint gold light, shimmering against the grains. "Now then...in order for this boy to go free...I need you to stay...and be mine."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Trying to keep up this time!_

Jack was in trouble...and he knew he was going to need help. He was tied down, he was sure that a few bones had been damaged, and he didn't have his staff. Jamie was at the mercy of Pitch...there was only one thing that the Guardian could do. "Pitch. If you return Jamie to his family and free them all from their nightmares...I'll do whatever you want." Jack grit his teeth and drooped his head low. This was the last place he had wanted to stay. His chest began to ache…he was pretty sure that was his heart. There was a twinge of deeper pain he felt, only for a split second.

The Nightmare King could not have been happier. His cackle boomed throughout his underground kingdom. "Ah! I do so hate to force people into things…" He turned to Jack, cancelling the attack meant for Jamie. He left his arms fall gently to his sides. "It's just the only way I can get what I want. And now that I have you...this plan is going to be my greatest one yet." Pitch began to pace around. "I wonder what the Man in the Moon will do now. His star Guardian has been captured and the other ones are completely useless...we saw them in action last time." Again, another laugh echoed.

Jack raised his head and glared. "The Man in the Moon?" What in the world would Pitch do to the Man in the Moon? HOW would he do anything? The Man in the Moon was always in the sky, he had never come down, even in the Guardian's darkest hour those two years ago. Was the Man in the Moon even a person? There were so many questions that Jack never got an answer to. North, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandman all knew about him; but Jack still knew nothing.

"Oh yes. You see, we have a long history together. I do owe him one last favor. I rid him of his family, his personal guardian, and his home. I think it's time I let him join everything he lost in the Golden Age." Pitch stopped pacing directly in front of Jack. His sinister eyes met the Guardian's. "And _we_ are going to be unstoppable!" Jack could only think to himself, 'we'? Just what did he mean by that? Jack was not going to just _lend_ his powers for something like that. He would never go against the Man in the Moon or anyone who stood as protectors of children. "I know you are probably thinking to yourself that you aren't going to fight at my side. Well...there's something I forgot to mention…"

The swirl of sand that had been holding Jamie started to grow in height. Jack took his eyes off of Pitch and watched as Jamie disappeared. "What are you doing with him?!" Jack began struggling to break free. "Oh, don't worry! I keep my promises. He is going home where he and his family will awaken. I wouldn't want them to miss the end of such a happy age. And I especially wouldn't want Jamie to miss seeing his "best friend" take part in it!" Jack's eyes widened. That would be something he did not want Jamie to see. Never in a million years. The pain in his chest tore at his heart once more. He could feel something inside of him wanting to escape, but he couldn't gather any emotions together. His mind was scattered with panic.

"And as I was saying, now that my end of the bargain is done, we will begin with the transformation!" Pitch started towards Jack, his wave of sand following behind him. He bent down and lifted Jack up by the shoulder of his frosted hoodie. He then proceeded to walk, dragging Jack along behind him.

They went into a large, open area, where Pitch once had a mound of tooth memory boxes he had stolen from the Tooth Fairy Palace. The hollowed out map of the globe was still there, with lights flickering. "And to think...that almost went dark once." Pitch growled to himself. However, he had now found a new purpose for it. He lifted the Guardian up and roughly tossed him right into the globe. Jack landed head first on the hard iron base.

Pitch decided it would be easier to perform his task by stepping inside as well. Jack's heart began to race, pounding rapidly against his chest. "Yes, open yourself to fear! It'll consume you faster...and every moment counts." Jack was uncertain of what Pitch was going to do to him. What could he do? Pitch had to have learned something new over the years he had been gone, and this indeed struck some fear into Jack. All he could do now was believe that his friends would find him before anything terrible happened.

The wave of sand that had been following closely behind started to thin out a bit and started to take on the form of a small, slithery creature but kept its length, growing longer. The snake-like creature slithered up into the globe and came face to face with the Winter Spirit. Again, the sharp pain slammed into Jack's chest. He winced in pain, unaware of what was going to happen next. The snake could see that this would be its best time to strike. It looked up to its master before proceeding. The Nightmare King simply gave a smirk and began to step out of the globe. He took a few steps away from Jack's prison before turning. In a low voice, the words Jack dreaded to hear slipped softly from Pitch's lips. "Goodnight, Frost." He then turned again and continued on his way.

The snake began to wrap itself slowly around its victim. Once Jack's torso was fully engulfed by the snake's body, the head of the snake slowly opened. The odd creature made sure that Jack was able to see what was about to happen. Right before Jack's eyes, the head continued to open and snapped. The jaws of the snake's mouth began to tear apart. The mouth continued to open until the top of the head and the bottom jack had completely disappeared and blended with the creature's body. Four large fangs shot out from the exposed "throat" of the serpent and plunged towards Jack. Again, Jack felt the sharp pain just before the fangs drove deep into his neck. The new pain sent him reeling.

Jack tried to fight, but there was nothing he could do. As the creature began its work, Jack started to feel lightheaded. Images flashed in his mind of Jamie, the moon, Burgess, the children he had become friends with, Bunny being terrified during their first sleigh ride, the night he died, all the years of being alone. They weren't in any particular order. But finally, they began to slow. Jack was alone. He was inside of Jamie's house. He could hear Jamie running down the stairs, chasing his sister Sophie. Just as they rounded the corner, Jack turned to greet them. He had forgotten what was happening to him and was just glad to be out of that dark cave. The children were running at him. He knelt down to catch Sophie in his arms...but she just continued running. As Jamie chased behind her, Jack realized they had both run right through him. They didn't even notice he was there. Jack was left alone, stunned. They couldn't….see him anymore? A twinge of fear ran through him. The world suddenly spun as everything around him became dark. When it came to a stop, Jamie and Sophie were standing in front of him, with blank stares. Theirs eyes looked empty. The world surrounding them was dull and grey. "Hey guys, come on...don't play like that." Jack tried to smirk, but as he waved his hands in front of their eye, they were still unmoving. He inched closer to them and went to give Jamie a gentle pat for reassurance, but his hand went right through. Again, Jack opened himself up to fear, and the snake began to feed into it.

The darkness sand was working wonderfully. Pitch had created it to go inside a person's memories and manipulate them using their own fears against them. Eventually, Jack would become a Nightmare servant. It was an extremely painful process. Pitch had tried it on several humans over the past year before perfecting it. However, he had no use for such pitiful humans, so he let them go free. Luckily for the Nightmare King, the victims had lost all of their memories when they awoke. If all went accordingly, Jack would be a mindless slave, doing the bidding of his master. Pitch grinned as he heard Jack's agonized cries trailing off behind him. He then whispered to himself. "Don't worry, Frost. The pain you feel now will be nothing compared to what's to come…" With that, the Nightmare King left the open room and began preparations for his next move. Everything was finally going as planned. Now that the biggest problem was out of his way, Pitch could now set his plan into motion.

He walked over to another corner of his underground lair. There was a small sliver of moonlight shining brightly, filling even the darkest corners. "You are always watching me...I bet you are wondering what's happened to your little winter friend. Well, you will find out soon enough. It's time that I take my rightful place in the world. I wonder if your Guardians are ready for the challenge of defeating the Nightmare King once and for all." As he spoke, the walls surrounding him came alive. Sand began to seep from the cold stone. Each pool took its own form, some horses, snakes, shapeless blobs, and terrifying creatures. Pitch's army wasn't as large as his original one all those years ago, but it was starting to grow...and so was his power.

_Thanks for reading! Until next time!~_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Hello again!~ Now...I know some of you have been keeping up with the Guardians of Childhood books..and I know that my story doesn't really match with what's going on with Jack. This is just my own rendition of the two characters involved! Please don't kill me xD_

Jamie heard a loud thud and reacted. He sat up and realized that he had fallen out of bed. He shook his head around a few times and yawned widely. "How long have I been asleep? Feels like….a long time!" Another yawn escaped him. He rubbed his eyes lightly and took a look around his room. Everything seemed to be normal. "What in the world was I dreaming about last night?" He asked himself as he felt a sharp pain fling against his head. His head was pounding, almost like he didn't get a good night's rest at all. This was also the first time, in a long time, he had fallen out of bed. He usually didn't do that unless he was having trouble getting comfortable...or a nightmare. The Sandman usually did a great job keeping the bad dreams at bay. Wait, that would mean that….PITCH.

The child scrambled to his feet but in the process stumbled to the floor. Some dark residue on his hands caught his attention. This was all getting too real too fast! He examined the residue and to his shock it was in fact black sand. Jamie knew that now was not the time to panic….but that's all he could really do. His heart began to race as his thoughts began to revolve around Jack. The Guardian was in greater danger than Jamie would be.

"SOPHIE!" Jamie shouted as he finally got to his feet and raced down the hallway to his sister's room. Maybe she had seen something.

As he approached her door, it was ajar. He took a peek inside and found her sleeping comfortably. Jamie pushed the door open and entered the room cautiously. He went over to her side and leaned over her to examine. There was black sand scattered about her eyes. He reached for her shoulders and shook her gently. "Sophie. Hey Soph! It's time to get up." Jamie's heart skipped several beats as he waited for her to open her eyes. As he held his breath, her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Wha….what is it?" She yawned in response.

Jamie released a heavy sigh of relief. "Kids! Come down and have some lunch!" That was music to Jamie's ears. At least his family was safe….but now his thoughts wandered back to Jack. Jamie hoped that the Guardian would be alright. All he could do was wait or try to get some help.  
-

The pain grew stronger. Jack was starting to have greater difficulty fighting off the darkness sand. He had resisted for quite a few hours now. His thoughts swirled around but mainly stayed focused on his friends. He only hoped that they would come to his rescue. There was no way he would be used as a tool to harm them.

As he continued to resist, the snake continued to inject sand venom into his body. With each new dose, Jack felt more pain. His throat had gone dry and scratchy from his cries. "Oh Jack, try not to keep resisting. You are only making this harder on yourself." Pitch had entered the room to observe his creature's work. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, however this was taking a lot longer than he had planned. Jack was resisting with every fiber left in his being. If this lasted much longer, the Guardians would probably come out and start looking for the Winter Spirit. That was something that Pitch could not afford yet.

"Think of what we would be able to accomplish together!" Pitch remarked as he made his way over to his victim. He could see that Jack would lose this fight fairly soon. "Yes, give in to the darkness. I bet you are exhausted…." Pitch's words played to Jack's body. His body was ready to give in and rest. The darkness felt so comforting each time Jack swayed. But he also knew that he would give out soon. There was only so much darkness sand he could take. It already had engulfed most of his body. The only area that hadn't been touched was his heart.

Jack's heart pulsed sharply, causing his to scream. As his mouth gaped open, a small light shot out and was hurled far from sight. It had somehow passed Pitch's gaze. As Pitch continued to watch, he knew his work was complete. As soon as the light was released, the darkness engulfed Jack's entire body. There was no more pain, no more images flashing before his eyes….just darkness. And it was oddly….comforting. All of his normal body functions seemed to stand still. His heart froze. His breathing slowed drastically. The perspiration immediately vanished.

The sand snake released the Winter Spirit and dissolved into the cold stone. As it slowly dissipated, Pitch knelt down next to Jack's unmoving body. He rubbed his chin and tilted his head in curiosity. "Most curious. But, I think it's time for you to wake up, Frost." He bared his crooked teeth as his lips curved into a smile. Jack's eyes slowly opened.

Instead of the cheery icy blue eyes softly greeting him, Pitch was met by piercing white, surrounded by black. It looked as though the sand had poisoned the whites of Jack's eyes and sucked the color right out. "I wasn't expecting that, but how delightful! You look simply terrifying." Pitch could hardly contain his glee. Jack's skin also started to change. He was already pale, but he started to turn a soft shade of grey, losing any color he may have had. The black sand that was now coursing through his veins slightly showed through on the surface. It was as if Jack was now a walking corpse.

Pitch now had one last test to see if the darkness sand had actually worked. "Frost, get to your feet. There is much work to be done." As soon as he finished his command, Jack obeyed. He rose to his feet and stared blankly at Pitch, awaiting further instruction. "This couldn't have turned out any better! Finally, I have the upper hand. Wait until the Man in the Moon feels my wrath! And his own Guardian is going to deliver the first blow!" The Nightmare King couldn't have been more pleased. Everything was going according to his plan. It was now time to move and set things in motion. He would hit the Guardians right where it hurt….by putting on a show with his new mindless puppet.

The Nightmare King snapped his fingers. A couple seconds later, a shadow creature entered the room, baring Jack's wooden staff. The creature hobbled over to Jack and reunited the wielder with his weapon. Jack grasped the staff and clenched it tightly in his hand. After a few seconds, the staff began to glow. The black light mixed with a twinge of pulsing red, giving his staff, once used for fun, a terrifying new purpose; to destroy.

"Well done. Well done indeed. I believe it is finally time to pay the Man in the Moon a little visit. Maybe you can finally get the answers to the questions you've been holding on to all these years…." Again, Pitch played to Jack's wishes and desires. Jack's body nodded, however, deep inside, Jack shook his head. "NO. I won't!" Jack was still conscious but he was unable to control his body. All he could do was watch helplessly as Pitch controlled his every move. There had to be a way to break this!

"Everyone! It is finally time to strike!" Pitch's voice boomed throughout his lair. As he started his speech, sand started to trickle from every nook and cranny within the cave. The grains of sand all band together to create various shadow creatures and terrifying monsters. They started to make a low humming sound that bounced off of the stone and echoed through the tunnels. More and more creatures began to join in. "Now, I can finally finish what I had started in the Golden Age! The Man in the Moon and his little Guardians will be wiped from this world….and the shadows will finally be free to roam." His eyes scanned the cavern. He could see that his creatures were just as ready as he was to live in a world of darkness. Pitch's gaze finally came to rest on Jack. "Now, follow me into the night as we permanently wipe out the light of the moon!" A nightmare whinnied as it flew down to Pitch's side. It bowed its head low and waited for its master to climb on. Once properly seated, Pitch raised his hand. "It's time to make the world see that the Nightmare King never loses!" He shouted triumphantly and signaled for his army to move forward.

Jack had followed his new master's orders and was at the head of the army, leading them straight up into the night sky. Inside, Jack was struggling to make himself turn around and put a stop to the attack, but it was no use. Pitch's control was too strong. In his heart, he knew that this new sand was unlike anything the Guardians had fought in the past. To defeat Pitch, it would take a lot more than just the power of believing this time. Since there was nothing he could do, Jack decided that he had to remain calm and come up with a solution. It would prove very difficult since he had a front row seat to see Manny be engulfed by darkness.

_Thanks for reading! Working on next chapter right now~_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_Okay, now we will find out what that ball of light was ;) pretty sure a lot of you have caught on already! Happy reading~_

Silence fell over the underground cave. All that could be heard was the pitter patter of water trickling down to the stone ground. The only source of light was the muted shimmer of the moon and a small glowing orb. With all the excitement, the orb had been overlooked, luckily. The orb pulsated a soft blue. The aura surrounding it was calm and light, giving off a peaceful energy. The stone surrounding the orb grew warm and welcoming. As the cave began to change to match the energy that was being given, the orb began to grow. As it grew, it also began to take shape. The rough, confused shape began to take form….the form of a human. As features began to appear, the light grew brighter. The light continued to pulse, growing ever brighter, as it seemed to be working to bring whatever this thing was to life. The light would not rest until its task was complete.

-  
Bunnymund was pacing the workshop anxiously. It was difficult for him to just sit around while something may be going on right under their noses. Even though he hated to admit it, Bunny truly was worried about the Frost Spirit. It was unlike Jack to go missing for so long without informing someone on where he would be. Well, after they all had become a team. The sinking feeling in his gut ached. "I dunno 'ow much longa I can take this, mate. Are you sure the only thing to do is to wait for Manny to tell us?"

Tooth nodded in agreement. She had been fluttering around the room non-stop. "I don't think I can wait another moment! I think we should go to Burgess and find out if he's still there even!" North rose up from his chair and shook his head. "Vwe might be sitting ducks if vwe don't know vwhat vwe're up against!" With a small jingle, the Sandman finally made an appearance. He drifted over to his fellow Guardians. Many different symbols started shooting about above his head. Images of the moon, question marks, exclamation marks, children, dream creatures. It was all very confusing for everyone around him. He couldn't really keep his thoughts together either. He too was worried about the missing Guardian, for he hadn't seen him flying around while Sandy was making his rounds to the children. "Yes, Sandy. Vwe all feel the same vway." North shook his head and then turned his gaze to the soft glow of the moon. "Man in Moon….you know something is vwrong. Show us!" The rest of the Guardians looked up to Manny, pleading for him to tell them just what was happening.

As they looked helplessly into the sky, they noticed an odd phenomenon. There was a dark cloud traveling through the sky. At first, they thought it was an oddly shaped rain cloud of sort, but it was moving with great speed. The thin shape shot through the sky and was headed straight towards the moon. North raised a brow. "Very odd…." Then, the sick feeling in his gut only grew. He turned and bolted from the room. Bunny, Sandy and Tooth all glanced at one another and shrugged.

A few moments later, North returned with a telescope. He extended it to the fullest length and put the glass up to his eye. He focused in on the black cloud. To his shock, it was no cloud. It was….a mass. A mass made up of shadows, dark creatures, and horrific beings. "I think our vworries 'ave just been confirmed. Pitch has returned!"

Bunnymund crossed his paws over his chest. "He should be a piece of cake to take down again, mate! After all, with Jack-" North interrupted Bunny's encouraging speech. "I'm afraid….vwe vwon't 'ave him on our side this time…." As he was following the trail of dark creatures with his telescope, North discovered leading the pack was Pitch and flying beside him was….Jack. Tooth's jaw dropped and she shook her head wildly. "There's just no way! He would never do this!" She zipped over to North and snatched the telescope from his hands. She peered through the glass and just couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Night had fallen and Jamie was growing more and more anxious by the minute. He hadn't seen or heard from Jack. He just needed to know if Pitch was back, for real. This could all be a joke or maybe the black sand was just dirt from the ground outside? He was hoping that it was all just a….bad dream.

Jamie shook his head and sighed. He wandered over to his window and leaned against the wall. He needed some sort of comfort and the only one he could turn to in this situation was the Man in the Moon. The moon's light was softly glowing, breaking through the darkness. The stars seemed to smile as they twinkled around it. Jamie felt very much at ease and tried to clear his mind of all the disturbing things that were running through it. He closed his eyes and sighed.

After realizing that he wasn't going to be able to do much, the light from the moon dimmed. Jamie opened his eyes to see why the moon wasn't shining as brightly. There weren't any clouds in the sky to begin with. As he gazed up at the sky, he noticed a dark streak spinning around the moon. This couldn't be clouds….maybe birds? But then Jamie's jaw dropped. The darkness continued to go around the moon, engulfing the peaceful light. He didn't need confirmation from the Guardians now...for he knew that Pitch _was_ back. And whatever, whoever, was aiding him was extremely powerful and would be difficult to stop. Little did he know, it was his best friend.

The Guardians could do nothing but stare in disbelief. The moon had been fully engulfed by dark sand and ice. Jack Frost had betrayed them, but why? Why would he do such a thing? After all they had done to make him feel welcome and accepted. Like one of them. Bunnymund was grumbling to himself. He was greatly disappointed in his poor judgement. But why such a sudden turn around?

Tooth was beyond upset, her baby tooth fairies surrounding her, trying to give her any comfort they could offer. She could not believe her eyes. "You know Jack wouldn't do a thing like that! You all know that!" She could see the look in Bunny's eyes and knew what he was thinking. "Oh yeah? Then why is he up there, helping Pitch?!" Bunny raised his voice in frustration. It wasn't aimed at Toothiana, but he just couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Everyone, clam. There 'as to be an explanation! Sure Frost has his moments, but he vwould never betray us, or children!" North spoke quickly, to calm the flare growing in the room. Sandy was at his side, nodding his head in agreement. But before they could continue the discussion any further, a bolt of ice came hurling down from the sky and struck right at Bunny's feet. They all reacted quickly, jumping back and getting into defense poses.

Following the bolt of ice, a second one, larger than the first, crashed through the floor and dove into the level below. Smoke rose up and fluttered around the room. Along with the smoke, black sand grains swirled around. "'Dis can't be good…" North said as he backed away from the hole in the floor. The others did the same, uncertain of what had crashed into the workshop, if anything.

After the smoke calmed, a figure started to emerge from the damage. It started to float up through the hole in the floor. The Guardians watched and waited to see just who it was, but the figure was clad in black sand. When the figure was far enough into the air, the sand started to dissolve. Little by little, they started to see hints of who their foe was. A patch of blue….on the lower half, a patch of brown. At the top, silver hair started to poke through. It was just the person they all feared it would be, Jack! "Why you dirty little-" Bunny had already started to lose his temper, but then trailed off as they got the entire view of Jack. His skin was a lot paler than usual and his eyes….the blank pools of white sent chills down Bunny's spine. Tooth was more devastated that his once bright eyes were now just dark with blank. She could see many open wounds and tear stained cheeks. His staff also had an odd glow to it. Black sand swirling slowly around it.

"Jack! Jack, it's us! What happened to you?" Toothiana tried to make sense of what she was seeing, but nothing was adding up. Then suddenly a psychotic laugh boomed throughout the workshop. It was one that none of them wanted to hear ever again. "What's happened, you ask? Just take a look at him. I would say he's had better days." Pitch laughed once again and began to appear right behind Jack, who was floating just a few feet off of the floor. A thin, boney arm formed around Jack's neck. The Guardians watched as the Nightmare King pulled Jack close, one arm around his neck and the other hand lightly touching his silver hair. Though Pitch was doing this, Jack remained emotionless. They all thought he would react and try to escape his grip, but he just stayed, his expression blank.

"Oh Guardians, what are you going to do now? I've got your star fighter and the Man in the Moon is….preoccupied at the moment." North took his focus off of Jack. The moon was still completely engulfed. Everything on the inside of the ice barrier was shifting. "Just vwhat 'ave you done!" North demanded, his fiery eyes now set on Pitch. "I'm finishing what I started during the Golden Age! The Man in the Moon will be completely wiped out, leaving the shadows, nightmares, and the Nightmare King himself to roam freely!" The Guardians all glanced around at one another. They knew what they had to do, but how would they do it? With Jack on his side and Manny fighting a battle of his own….this seemed hopeless.

_Until next time!~_


End file.
